Escutcheon

ABSTRACT

An escutcheon to cover an electrical outlet receptacle has a pair of rear standing studs to be manually engaged to and disengaged from a pair of pin-receiving openings in such a receptacle.

i United States Patent Inventor Harry R. Rasmussen 422 File Heights Drive N.E., Tacoma, Wash. 98422 Appl. No. 5,815 Filed Jan. 26, I970 Patented Nov. 9, 1971 ESCUTCIIEON 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 174/66, 220/24.2, 220/27 Int. Cl 025 3/14 Field of Search l74/66, 67; 220/27, 24.2, 24.3; 29/462, 525

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,740,873 4/1956 Cronk 220/24.2 UX 3,052,955 9/l962 McAndrews ct al.. 29/525 X 3,438,534 4/1969 Zerwes....; 220/27 X Primary Exami .'r-Lcwis H. Myers Assistant Examiner-D. A. Tone Attorney-Ford E. Smith ABSTRACT: An escutchcon to cover an electrical outlet receptacle has a pair of rear standing studs to be manually cngaged to and disengaged from a pair of pin-rccciving openings in such a receptacle.

1 ESCUTCIIEON SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is regular practice for telephone companies to install outlet receptacles in buildings during their construction or renovation, to which the usual conductor wires are run even though it is not immediately contemplated that telephone service will be established at each receptacle. Normally such installation includes one or several receptacles that are to be closed and not used until later when it may become desireable to establish supplemental service or to move an instrument to a new location. This is advantageous because the initial installation is made for a fraction of the cost as compared with cutting into a wall and fishing conductors through a finished and closed structure. v a

This invention is concerned with providing an escutcheon to first close an unused outlet receptacle. The escutcheon with slight modification may later be adapted to surround and trim a service outlet element installed in the receptacle. The escutcheon is formed of molded phastic having an appreciable degree of resilience or flexibility. On its rear is a pair of rearstanding resilient studs slidably insertable in pin-receiving openings in an outlet receptacle. The studs or pins in cross section are in part greater and in part lesser in diameter than the size of the pin-receiving openings. They may be manually inserted and withdrawn. They are also frangible for easy removal on occasion. The escutcheon is also provided with thinned areas which are easily punctured or pierced to form screw-receiving openings useful when the escutcheon is to be attached in conventional manner to an outlet box. The margins of the thinned areas when punctured deform, when a conical headed screw fastener is inserted, to produce a countersink about a screw head.

DRAWINGS BRIEFLY DESCRIBED FIG. 1 is perspective view of the rear of an escutcheon;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section showing the escutcheon secured to an outlet box;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectioned view on line 3-3 of FIG 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 of a stud;

FIG 5 is an enlarged rear face view of a puncturable thinned area of an escutcheon, and

FIG. 6 shows in enlarged detail a screw attachment of the escutcheon as to an outlet box.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION An escutcheon according to this invention comprises a plate 10 having rear standing studs 12, 12, a removable or knockout closure disc 14 and thinned areas 16,16, all as seen in FIG. 1. Preferably the margins 18 of plate are angularly flanged in conventional manner to provide sloping front face margins and on the rear a slight cavity inside the margins.

Each stud or pin 12 is molded integral with plate 10 and includes tapered nose 20 to ease insertion into a tight hole. In cross section (see FIG. 4) each pin is serrated as a result of its being provided with longitudinally extending alternating grooves 22 and ridges 24. By reason of their inherent resiliency or flexibility, pins 12 may swing or pivot to mate with slightly misaligned holes. However, they are frangible and may easily be removed with dike cutters or broken away with liers. p In the center of plate 10 is the knockout disc 14 mounted in hole or opening 26 by means of frangible bridges 28. Ordinarily the disc 14 remains in plate 10 so long as the latter is employed to close or cover an unused outlet box 30 as shown in FIG. 2.

A suitable box comprises upper and lower walls 32,32, at least one side wall 34, and an out standing flange 36. Nails 38 through flange 36 anchor the box to a stud 40 preferably with sidewall 34 juxtaposed thereto. In this arrangement, the front portions of walls 32 and 34 stand forward of flange 36 a distance usually the thickness of plasterboard 42, whereupon their front edges are normally flush with the wall.

On the inner faces of walls 32 at the mouth of the outlet box are buttressed ears 44 having pairs of openings 46,46 and 48,48, and 50,50. The spacing of openings 46,46 coincides with the spacing of pins 12,12. The spacing of holes 48,48 matches that of thinned areas 16,16. And the spacing of holes 50,50 corresponds with standard fastener ears on various components often installed in the central portion of box 34. Bars 44 stand normal to walls 32. On their backsides, buttress walls 35 extend at the edges between the ears 44 and walls 32. The buttress walls are parted by slits 52 as seen in FIG. 2.

The thinned areas 16 are best seen as enlarged in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 to comprise an annular cavity or recess 54 having a flat bottom wall 56 which is quite thin as compared to the thickness of plate 10. Arrayed around the edge of recess 54 is a plurality of wedge shaped bolsters or bosses 58 each having an outer sloping wall 60. When the bottom wall 56 is punctured and a screw shank 62 inserted therethrough, the bosses 58 are caused to fold down and out (see FIG. 6) as the conical underhead 64 of the screw is drawn in and margins of the ruptured thinned area are displaced. The efi'ect is to convert an otherwise thin wall flat surface into a bolstered countersink so that the slight rounded face of the screwhead is neatly flushed at the face of the escutcheon.

The escutcheon face 66 is shown as finely nibbed in design. Of course, other patterns may be employed.

This escutcheon is particularly useful to cover an outlet box installed and wired for future use, but not to be immediately used. The escutcheon is installed merely by inserting pins or studs 12,12 in holes 52,52, and pressing home the plate against the face of a wall. The diameter of ridges 24 is greater than the diameter of a hole 52. And the diameter of valleys 22 is less than the diameter of hole 46. As a pin 12 is pressed home, the resilience of the pin material permits compression of ribs or ridges 24 with displaced material being accommodated in the valleys. The result is a tight, secure fit. Normally, with the aid of a pry, the escutcheon may be removed without pins 12 fracturing.

To attach an outlet component to be installed, screws associated with the component are inserted into holes 50,50. Self threading screws are desirable. The installer pushes on knockout 14 fracturing the bridges 28 and clearing opening 26 which will closely encircle the component. While the escutcheon may be resecured by pins 12,12, it is desirable to unify the assembly whereby plate 10 lends support to the ears 44 to stabilize the mounted component. This is accomplished by inserting the screws 62, as described, whereby plate 10 and ears 44 are drawn closely and tightly together with bosses infolding and forming a conical countersink as shown.

It will be understood that the foregoing exemplary description may be subject to alterations and modifications as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art without departing from the spirit of the invention. All such as fall within the scope of the subjoined claims giving due regard to the appropriate application of the doctrine of equivalents is to be embraced by this patent.

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. An escutcheon, for an electrical outlet receptacle having a spaced-apart pair of pin-receiving openings therein, comprising:

a semiresilient plastic base plate;

a pair of spaced-apart, rodlike resilient studs integral with and projecting rearward from said plate for insertion into and removal from said pin-receiving openings;

said plate having at its face a spaced-apart pair of rupturable diaphragm portions, each closing a cavity in the rear face of said plate, said portions being aligned with said studs.

2. Structure according to claim 1 in which bolster means is provided on the rear of each said diaphragm portions in the as sociated cavity operable upon rupture thereof to form a countersink depression at the plate face to accommodate a tape red head fastener. 

1. An escutcheon, for an electrical outlet receptacle having a spaced-apart pair of pin-receiving openings therein, comprising: a semiresilient plastic base plate; a pair of spaced-apart, rodlike resilient studs integral with and projecting rearward from said plate for insertion into and removal from said pin-receiving openings; said plate having at its face a spaced-apart pair of rupturable diaphragm portions, each closing a cavity in the rear face of said plate, said portions being aligned with said studs.
 2. Structure according to claim 1 in which bolster means is provided on the rear of each said diaphragm portions in the associated cavity operable upon rupture thereof to form a countersink depression at the plate face to accommodate a tapered head fastener. 